Rumors Be True?

Anyone who reads the gossip rags knows that, for quite some time, there has been a rumor that this will be Michael Vartan's last season on Alias. Apparently, Mrs. Garner-Affleck is uncomfortable having the man who busted up her first marriage around while her current husband visits the set. So, seeing as Garner is the star of the show and one of its producers, rumor has it that Vartan's days are numbered.

Of course, Vartan denies these claims. (It's also been rumored that Garner is leaving the show, and she'll be replaced with a much hotter girl.) As rumors go, this one is pretty run-of-the-mill.

And then, a funny thing happened. On last week's premiere of Alias, Vartan's character was killed. So, are the rumors true, or are they pulling our legs?

If this was any other show but Alias, I'd say Vartan was done. When characters on other TV shows die, they tend to stay dead. (It's worth noting that Patrick Duffy was dead for an entire season of Dallas, only to reappear after the famous "It Was Only A Dream" episode.) But this is a J.J. Abrams show, and Abrams loves to fuck with people. (Fans of Lost who have never seen Alias are just now finding this out.) Characters on Alias disappear and reappear with no rhyme or reason. There are at least two characters that have died more than once during the show's run. (Amy Irving has died three times on the show, and still appeared in an episode last season.) No one is truly dead in the land of Alias.

So, is Michael Vaughn dead? Sure looks like it. Is Michael Vartan off the show? I wouldn't count on it.